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Posted by: blazerchad Aug 18 2009, 01:01 PM

Wanted one of these for years... found it after being in storage for 12 years.. never driven, just started and maintained.. crazy low original miles on it, no crazy electrical slices and dices, wiring looks great, in fact, over all the crazy cars I have bought, this 914 is the cleanest, lowest rust, lowest damage/ modifications of any rig I have ever bought..

started it, drove it! offered money, they took it...

I went back to drive it to a buddies with a garage... no start...

here I sit, at my buddies garage... turn the key... flashing from the hazard relay. no lights exterior, just flashing in the heads up display.

no power to the fuel pump magically. run a hot lead to it, it fires up...

turn the key and (below the infernal clicking of the hazard relay ) I hear no fuel pump for the required second or so... nothing.

spray a little thrust into the intake, starts easy.

changed the fuel filter, of course had to replace the hose to the fuel pump too, thats when I tested it, having flashes of lighting on fire remembering I have a hot lead form the battery dangling.. (I had just tested the pump)

So here i sit in portland oregon, beating my head against a wall to the beat of my hazard flasher... click click click.....

Posted by: Cevan Aug 18 2009, 01:18 PM

First,

Second, have you checked the fuel pump relay. It's the third round relay (going front to back) on the relay board in the engine bay. Assuming your headlights go up and down, you could swap out the fuel pump relay for a known working headlight relay. There is also a 25amp fuse on the relay board that could be blown (and was the cause of my no start problem).

QUOTE(blazerchad @ Aug 18 2009, 03:01 PM)

Posted by: Shade Tree Aug 18 2009, 01:31 PM

I really like that color.... Don't worry, these guys will help you get it going again.

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 18 2009, 01:46 PM

making progress with a little searching on this forum... The flashing in the headset.. top middle of left heads up, warning light... handbrake or master cylinder.

Im assuming hand brake, it was frozen up when i got the rig, tore out the seat and free'ed the HB up, must have messed with the switch at that point.

checked the fuse for the pump relay, power in and power out, buying a new fuel relay to switch out.

also, my center relay in engine compartment has a red relay, all pretty and in the middle, this i assume is power to the board.. that might be bad... sound like a symptom?

Posted by: tod914 Aug 18 2009, 01:48 PM

If the fuze is blown, and it continues to blow, it's probally the auxillery air regulator shorting it out. In that case, disconnect the AAR and plug the end where it goes into the air cleaner, and also the on the aircleaner.
You can find spare relays in your headlight motors (remove the plastic shield). Keep note of the orientation of the relay. They are numbered and need to go in a certian way. Its relay 75.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/parts/electrical/914_electric_71relay.jpg
Nice car btw and good luck with it.

Posted by: zymurgist Aug 18 2009, 02:04 PM

The flashing light can be caused by the master cylinder of the switch on the parking brake lever... I've never been able to get that switch to line up correctly on Babydoll.

You west coast guys are so lucky... "low rust" indeed!

Does it have the original fuel injection? Regardless of what the fuel system is, you might want to think about replacing the tunnel fuel lines before driving it on a regular basis. We're talking major fire prevention here (not trying to scare you, but it has happened).

Posted by: montoya 73 2.0 Aug 18 2009, 02:06 PM

What color code is that?

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 18 2009, 02:12 PM

QUOTE(montoya 73 2.0 @ Aug 18 2009, 01:06 PM)

What color code is that?

Posted by: zymurgist Aug 18 2009, 02:13 PM

QUOTE(Shade Tree @ Aug 18 2009, 03:31 PM)

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 18 2009, 03:12 PM

gonna go work on it now... hope i make headway.. I really hope my fuel pump just isnt getting power from the relay... downloaded some wiring diagrams.. try to test tham a bit..

Posted by: ME733 Aug 21 2009, 10:30 AM

QUOTE(zymurgist @ Aug 18 2009, 04:04 PM)

The flashing light can be caused by the master cylinder of the switch on the parking brake lever... I've never been able to get that switch to line up correctly on Babydoll.

You west coast guys are so lucky... "low rust" indeed!

Does it have the original fuel injection? Regardless of what the fuel system is, you might want to think about replacing the tunnel fuel lines before driving it on a regular basis. We're talking major fire prevention here (not trying to scare you, but it has happened).

Posted by: zx-niner Aug 21 2009, 05:53 PM

My very first 914 in 1978 was a bone stock 1972 1.7l. Absolutely the best car I ever owned, including the current 914. Well, bone stock except for the wheels. These were chic in the 70's. And except for the spoiler and exhaust. Even then we couldn't leave them stock. But after an engine rebuild in '79 it was the finest running 914 anywhere. Plenty of power for the light car, absolute reliability, well over 30 mpg. When I look at other photos I'm amazed at how well everything fit when these cars were new(er).

It was also my first 914 to go the the wrecking yard after I tried to pull out blind into traffic. Sigh. I probably would still have it, although in the 80's would have put on a Chalon kit with a V6, and painted it red. Maybe it was better this way.

Posted by: roadster fan Aug 21 2009, 08:33 PM

Electrical problem in a 914, and no one on this board has suggested checking the................













































GROUNDS. I would check all of them. the ones by the relay board, the ones on the engine in the middle below the intake plenum (you can get to them from passenger side with the aircleaner off), and the ones under the dash, and by the brake fluid reservoir. Hope this helps a little, make sure to report back.

Jim

Posted by: plas76targa Aug 22 2009, 06:21 AM

Jim - you beat me to that ... grounds. Check them all. I sprayed electric cleaner on the one near the fuse panel / drivers door. I'll add change the transmission fluid (at LEAST check the level). Fresh gear lube and engine oil wouldn't hurt.
Welcome to the board!

Posted by: 9146986 Aug 22 2009, 09:45 AM

Change the brake fluid. That's a 2 year service interval, and I'd bet yours hasn't been replaced in a long time.

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 22 2009, 06:52 PM

changing out the alternator now...

had to replace the distibutor... an armature broke off opposite the points, a ball bearing, spring/cup set up to keep the advance plate from moving up and down.
. it was broke and sitting in the bottom of the distributor...

i replaced the distributor with another one via a local garage, they struggled finding a replacement for the original. guess i will have to rebuild the stock distributor... my tach is gone now... wont work...

gonna go run and put the new alt in... hey, whats the little box on the ass end of the distributor, one wire, hooked to the post labeled b+. hot to opposite side...(also labeled b+)

chad

Posted by: Pat Garvey Aug 22 2009, 07:19 PM

Hmm, how old is the gas? Shined a flashlight (not your BIC) into the tank?
Pat

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 22 2009, 07:34 PM

gas is good, all drained and fresh gas.. i have it running...

drove it for a coupla hours from portland to eugene..

distributor assed out, now im working on charging system...

should i go to an internally regulated alt? or keep the voltage regulator?

im thinking of taking back this rebuilt, go to an alt shop and have my old one rebuilt..

hmmm

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 22 2009, 07:36 PM

oh, and the flashing heads up is gone.. it was the brake sensor im guessing.. electrics are a little crazy...

no signals, no fog lights, no blower motor for heat, no heat electrics, hazards work, no flashers, headlights work, thats about it... step on the brake and one taillight goes out...

crazy...

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 23 2009, 11:27 AM

now the tach is working...

The vw shop i took it to (replaced the distributor checked fuel system and timed the car) managed to dislodge the tach wire going to the coil. checked the trans ground strap, bright, shiny, new and tight...

going to go through all the bulbs, replace and re-check..

any word out there on one wire alternator set up?

Posted by: Shade Tree Aug 27 2009, 03:20 PM

Hey, I just checked out your car at Bruce's shop. Wonderful choice of mechanics. Bruce is the best. For those of you who don't know him, his name is Bruce Watson....wwautowerks. Your car is nice and it sounds like you got a good deal on it. I have faith that your car will be reliable and back on the road soon.
Rich.

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 27 2009, 08:18 PM

bruce just called me... said someone recognized the car from the forum!!! small world! that is awesome... bruce is a stud, he is a great teacher and very understanding about budget...

im very satisfied with ww autoworks...

and get this, my high school english teacher was there... couldnt believe it... viva mr. dewitt!

Posted by: ChrisNPDrider Aug 27 2009, 08:57 PM

Classic
Good thing you did get to drive it for a few hours, now you are adequately hooked to empty your wallet, spend late nights on the internet ordering parts, and counting down the days until the next cruise. Try to post some more photos - especially of the problem zones. There are some super sharp-eyed mechanics lurking about

Posted by: ChrisNPDrider Aug 27 2009, 09:03 PM

edit - delete

Posted by: ChrisNPDrider Aug 27 2009, 09:03 PM

Classic
Good thing you did get to drive it for a few hours, now you are adequately hooked to empty your wallet, spend late nights on the internet ordering parts, and counting down the days until the next cruise. Try to post some more photos - especially of the problem zones. There are some super sharp-eyed mechanics lurking about

Posted by: rick 918-S Aug 27 2009, 09:37 PM

Posted by: SLITS Aug 28 2009, 07:50 AM

The Red Relay you are talking about is a Fuel Pump Relay .... 911 style ... same function as a black one, but the 911s were red.

Posted by: Shade Tree Aug 28 2009, 11:11 AM

QUOTE(blazerchad @ Aug 27 2009, 07:18 PM)

Posted by: gothspeed Aug 28 2009, 12:28 PM

That is one clean 914 .......... !!! Congratulations on the aquisition!!! Mine is a silver 1973 1.7 ....... even though clean ....... will be getting a set of AA GT flares ......... welcome to the jungle and keep posting your progress !!!

Posted by: blazerchad Aug 29 2009, 02:43 PM

i did go to thurston... had dewitt twice for sci fi and english...

Posted by: blazerchad Sep 6 2009, 01:13 PM

UPDATE....

well I spent 4 days with bruce at ww autowerks in eugene...

had a great time, great learning experience..

I bought this car for a daily driver.. I know.. but im pretty handy and can keep old rigs running...

I realize now that this wasnt a great choice, I made an assumption that because of the vw cross-over and proliferation of parts the 914 would be a good choice..

Well, If I hadnt met bruce then the 914 would have been a bad choice... but Bruce has helped me make sense of the car and given me the confidence to make repairs to this ride..

Bruce and I put in a distributor and brain, found countless broken wires, fuel injectors... timed it countless times...

its funning really good now... been a long road...

still have the heads up flasher warning, and I have an old school MC, two wires into a plunger... no reset..

e brake has a switch that I took out, cleaned, inspected.. now its mashed down in the "open position" (I think I better take this out one more time)

tore open all the seat belt system... (no interlock) hooked it back up, it operates.. still flashing...

the two lights that flash... left orb of heads up display, both signal lights, with a [b] in brackets below it... i noticed that the flashing is slower than when you pull the hazards.. they click a touch faster... hmmm...

anyhow.. I know this is a longtime issue among 914's and have read many ideas on how to kill the infernal flashing...

who knows...

Posted by: blazerchad Sep 6 2009, 02:44 PM

update.. flashing...

well lo and behold.. if you back out the hazard switch gently... flashing stops.. its like the switch is worn and contact is made in the closed position... i pull on it a touch.. just back it up a touch and the mysterious flashing goes away... AND my turn signal left and right bulbs were slightly glowing while the car was running... almost like... a flasher relay problem, i went and turned the flashers on and noticed the subtle gow went away... hmmm I thought.. switch problems... found the middle ground between off and on... boom, slight bulb glow is gone and the pre ignition warning flash goes away...

relief.. now to fix the turn signal switch...

Posted by: blazerchad Sep 6 2009, 04:02 PM

another update...


after re-building the alternator... I decided that a new voltage reg was in order... didnt ever really get an answer on a one-wire alternator... so I upgraded to an adjustable output voltage regulator... sits at 1/8th the height of the old mechanical regulator..

grounded it... runs and charges...

thought people might like to hear there is an affordable upgrade and adjustable... who knows...